Electric rain switch



Jan. 10, 1928-. 1,655,834

F. DZIERZENGA ELECTRIC RAIN SWITCH Filed Sept. 20. 1926 FRANK DZ/ERZE/V A iNVENTOR 22,, f flh mwr ATTORNEY Patented Jan. 16, 1928.

insane PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK DZIERZENGA, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YGRK.

ELECTRIC RAIN swrren.

Application filed September 20, 1926. Serial No. 136,538.

My invention relates to electric rain switches and has a particular reference to switches provided with means to collect rain drops the weight of the collected rain water causing the switch to close t-heelectric circuit. The object of myinvention is to provide a rain opera-ted switch which couldbe used to operate electromagnetic window closing devices, electric bells, alarms or rain recording apparatus.

My invention is more fully described in the accompanying specification and drawing in which Fig. 1 is an elevation of my switch with the front cover removed, Fig. 2 is a section taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, Fig. 3 is atop view partly in section, Fig. a is a dia gram illustrating the arrangement of my switch with an electromagnetic window closing device, and Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic view showing operation of the contact members. i

My switch consists of a housing '1 with a funnel 2 on top. The housing is provided with lugs 3 for attaching it toa board 4c with screws 5. This boardismade' of an insulating material, such as hard rubber, irnpreg nated wood etc. -f 30 A switch bar 6 is rotatively mounted on a pivot 7 supported by a bracket 8 attached to the board t with a screw 9. An insulated wire 10 connects this bracket with a terminal block 11 attached to theiboard 4' with a screw 12 and provided with a contact screw 13 for outside leadsl l. i I i The bar 6 has a lug 15 with a resilient contact strip 16. The end of this strip is turned at an angle and placed in line with a 40 stationary contact member 17 supported by a bracket 18., This bracket is attached to the board 4 with a screw 19 and has a contact screw 20 for an outside lead 21'.

The rear side of. the contact member 17 is covered with an insulation 22. Both the contact member and the insulation are rounded, as shown in Fig. 5, to facilitate sliding of the resilient contact strip 16.

One end of the bar 6 isprovided with a cup shaped enlargement 23 located under a spout 24 of the funnel 2. An intermediate funnel 25 is placedbet-ween the spout 24C and the cup 23 in order to provide more uniform flow of water on the cup 23.

A guiding member 25 is attached to the wall of the housing near the end of the cup V the plate 34. The bar 23 and is curved so as to converge with the cup when the latter moves downward, without, however, touching it. This guiding piece may be made of metal, but I prefer to make it of some absorbent material like wood in order to keep the water flowing across the small clearance from the cup The lower end of the guiding plate 25 is placed in the upper end of an inclined trough 26 attached to the board a with screws 27 Under the lower end of the trough is placed a cup 28 of a bar 29 which is rotatively supported on a bracket- 30 with a pin 31. The bracket- 30 is attached to the board fl: with screws 32. A link 33 is pivotally connected with the bar 29 and with the end of the bar 6 forming a hinged connection between these two bars.

The end of the cup 28 rests on a plate 3 attached to the lower wall of the housing land is made preferably of some water absorbing material like wood. A drain hole 35 is provided in the housing 1 for draining the water.

The cup 28 with the link 33 are slightly heavier than the cup 23 and normally tend to keep thecup 23 in a raised position as shown in Fig. l with the cup 28 resting on 29 has an extension beyond the housing forming a handle which may be used toclose the contacts manually or to give a few jerks to the mechanism in case of its sluggishness.

My switch is intended for installation outdoors, for instance, by attaching it to the window frame outside. It is connected by wires 14 and 21 through a battery 36 with a magnet 37 attached to the window frame near its sliding panel 38. The panel has notches 39 on one side adapted to be engaged by a lug 410 of an armature 4-1. This magnet keeps the window panel in a raised position until it is actuated by the switch when it releases the lug 40, and the panel drops under its own weight closing the window.

The switch may be made to operate an alarm bell, rain recording device or similar apparatus.

The operation of my switch is a follows.

The rain water, collecting in the funnel 1, flows through funnel 25 onto the cup 23 until its accumulated weight causes the cup to swing down, raising the cup 28 and closing the contact between the plate 17 and the resilient strip 16. The contact is closed for 7 tact strip 16, as shown in Fig. 5, on its return movement it slides over the insulation 22, so that the circuit remains open during this return movement.

The switch closes the contacts only once,

whenthe rain first begins'to tall. When the first cycle of movement is completed,

the plate 25 will be moistened with water and will continue to drain water from the cup 23 causing a continuous fiow on the cup 28. With the equal weight of water on both of these cups, the cup 23 will remain in a raised position with the contact open.

As soon as the rain stops, in a few seconds the plate 25 becomes suificiently dry to render the apparatus operative again.

With this arrangement my switch has an important advantage that it uses very little current, only when the rain starts, no current flowing if the rain continues to fall.

I claim as my invention:

1. In an electric rain switch, the combination with a bar of means to pivotally support said bar, a receptacle for water on one end of said bar, said bar being balanced so as to be turned on its pivot when water is added in said receptacle, a contact strip on said bar, a stationary cont-act member adapted to be touched by said contact strip when said bar is operated by water, a second bar and a second water receptacle pivotally connected with the first bar, and

means to direct the overflow water from said first water receptacle on said second water receptacle.

2. In an electric rain switch, the combination with a bar of means to pivotally support said bar, a receptacle 'for water on one end of said bar, a second water receptacle,

a link pivotally connected with the other end of said bar and with said second water receptacle, a contact member on said bar, a stationary contact member adapted to be touched by said first contact member when said bar is turned on its pivot, said bar with said receptacles being balanced so as to remain in an inoperative positionwith said contact members separated when said first receptacle is empty and to be turned'on its tive position when water is being continuously conveyed from one of said receptacles to the other.

3. In an electric ram switch, the combination with a bar of means to pivotally support said bar, a cup-shaped receptacle on one end of saidbar, a second cup-shaped receptacle, operating connections between said secondreceptacle and the other end of said bar, said second receptacle being adapted to overbalance said first receptacle, means to conduct rain-water on said first receptacle, an electric switch adapted to be operated by said bar and adapted to close theelectric circuit when the added weight of rain water causes said first receptacle to overbalance said second receptacle, and means to conduct said water from said first receptacle into said second receptacle thereby returning said bar and said switch into inoperative position. 7 i

4. In an electric rain switch, the combination with a bar of means to pivotally support said bar, a cup-shaped receptacle on one end of said bar, means to conduct rain water on said receptacle, a second receptacle, operating, connections between said second receptacle and the other end of said bar, said second receptacle being adapted to overbalance said first receptacle, contact members adapted to be operated by said bar and adapted to close an electric circuit when said first receptacle is lowered by the added weight of said rainwater, means to conduct said rain water from said first receptacle on said second receptacle thereby rendering said contacts inoperative, and means to opwith said receptacle in its original inoperative posit-ion when rain water is continually added to said receptacle, said bar becoming operative again when the addition of said water is discontinued.

Signed at Brooklyn in the county of Kings and State of New York September A. D;

' FRANK DZIERZENGA; 

